0:00:02 > 0:00:06just a few miles from a city of more than 200,000 people.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09But there's hardly anyone else here.
0:00:09 > 0:00:14The secret is you have to walk to get here.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18Are you ready?
0:01:02 > 0:01:04Absolutely stunning, isn't it.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08This is Three Cliffs Bay on Gower's south coast.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12Spend a few hours here and you'll understand why, back in 1956,
0:01:12 > 0:01:18it became Britain's first designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
0:01:23 > 0:01:28'From Langland Bay to Worm's Head, this entire coastline is gorgeous.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32'And today, we'll be going to one of Gower's hidden bays.'
0:01:33 > 0:01:37For our first walk, though, we're heading west to Pembrokeshire.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42Not along the coastal path, no, we're going inland and uphill
0:01:42 > 0:01:47to the highest point on the Preseli hills, Bluestone country.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51'Think of Pembrokeshire and what probably springs to mind
0:01:51 > 0:01:53'are beautiful beaches and craggy cliffs.
0:01:53 > 0:01:58'But up here in the Preseli hills there's a quite different landscape.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01'A wonderfully wild and windswept place
0:02:01 > 0:02:06'steeped in the ancient history of standing stones and tomb builders.'
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Our walk today starts in the village of Maenclochog,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12which means "stones sounding like a bell",
0:02:12 > 0:02:16thanks to two rocks near the church which, apparently, when struck
0:02:16 > 0:02:19- made a ringing sound. - CHURCH BELL
0:02:19 > 0:02:22The church also has a connection with my guide today.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26Becky Davies, the vicar of Maenclochog.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30'Originally from London, Becky trained as a classical musician
0:02:30 > 0:02:34'before becoming a vicar and moving to Maenclochog four years ago.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38'Despite, or perhaps because of, her city upbringing
0:02:38 > 0:02:42'she loves the place's character and is fascinated by its history.'
0:02:42 > 0:02:45- KNOCKS ON DOOR - Hello, Becky! Shw mae?
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Yn iawn, diolch. A chi?
0:02:47 > 0:02:49- Da iawn. Nice to meet you. - And you.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Listen, I'm sorry about the weather, but have faith, it'll brighten up.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55- I hope so. - Which way are we going?
0:02:55 > 0:02:57- Up by there. - OK.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01'Just six miles inland from Pembrokeshire's north coast,
0:03:01 > 0:03:03'this is a walk of contrasts.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05'It starts off nice and easy,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08'along boardwalks and through a forest,
0:03:08 > 0:03:12'then climbs up a broad ridge to the summit of Foel Cwmcerwyn.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14'Then it's downhill most of the way,
0:03:14 > 0:03:18'joining the ancient Golden Road path and a forestry trail
0:03:18 > 0:03:21'to the old slate quarrying village of Rosebush
0:03:21 > 0:03:24'and finally, back to Maenclochog.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31'Unfortunately, the ringing stones that gave Maenclochog its name
0:03:31 > 0:03:37'are no longer here, long-since used for another purpose or destroyed.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39'But glance at an OS map of the area
0:03:39 > 0:03:43'and you'll see more standing stones and burial chambers
0:03:43 > 0:03:47'dotted around the place than you could shake a Celtic cross at!'
0:03:49 > 0:03:52I can see two stones standing in this field, here.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55- Anything significant about these? - You'd have to ask experts.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58I'm just a vicar, but I reckon they probably go back
0:03:58 > 0:04:02four or five thousand years to the ancient peoples that were here.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06The whole of the Preseli mountain range acts as a big calculator,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09so that you can tell when to plant your crops,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12when to harvest, when to do a religious thing.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Archaeologists have discovered, up on Carn Menyn,
0:04:15 > 0:04:19that a high proportion of stones, if you hit them ring like bells.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22- They make a sound.- Like a metal bell. It doesn't sound like rock.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25I could show you one at Pentre Ifan.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28You can hit it and plays two notes with harmonics.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31If you tap it with the palm of your hand, it sort of goes, "Dong"
0:04:31 > 0:04:35instead of, "Phht". Stone should go, "Phht", but it doesn't.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Maybe these stones could help me forecast the weather.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41It could tell you what season it was. You said it would get brighter.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Let's go and see if it does.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48'Not so long ago, this path would've been impassable on days like today
0:04:48 > 0:04:52'but thanks to Becky and friends, who persuaded the council to help,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56'this is now a pleasant alternative to the busy road
0:04:56 > 0:04:58'as a way to reach the hills.'
0:04:58 > 0:05:01- Hello! - Hello! Moo!
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Oh, we're going onto a boardwalk, now.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09Yeah, this is part of opening it all up and making it accessible.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Before, you had to wade through here in your wellies.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16If you look here, it's not proper solid ground.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18It's a bit betwixt and between.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21It's not water and it's not ground. It's a bog.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24This has all been newly done so you don't sink.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26And our feet will stay nice and dry.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29'So what would've been a boggy path
0:05:29 > 0:05:32'is now a delightful stroll through a glade
0:05:32 > 0:05:34'that leads to an enchanting, mossy wood
0:05:34 > 0:05:39'where a boardwalk gives way to a soft carpet of pine needles.'
0:05:41 > 0:05:43Oh! Look at the mushrooms!
0:05:53 > 0:05:55Here we are, out of the woods.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58- Look, the rain has stopped. - Thank goodness.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Mind you, I wouldn't rule out a few showers later on.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03No. Probably not.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07- Where to from here? - We want to end up over there.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Foel Cwmcerwyn. This is where we turn left to go right.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14Up here and then we take the ridge along to Foel Cwmcerwyn.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17- Like that. We'll just pick up the path by here.- OK.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31Hang on a minute.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33SLAPPING
0:06:33 > 0:06:36Can't hear a thing.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39It's not a ringer. You'd know if it was. They make a funny noise.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43- I could be a bit deaf. - No, you'd know. Really, you'd know.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49Over another stile, onto a grassy track.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51- That's it. - Does it go all the way to the top?
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Yeah, it goes up to Foel Cwmcerwyn.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59We've turned back on ourselves, we're going the way we want to go,
0:06:59 > 0:07:01instead of against ourselves.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03- It looks nice and easy. - It is.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Much easier than picking your way through gorse.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08See on either side now we've got wimberry bushes.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12A month or so ago, it would've been packed with them.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15- I make muffins for my baby from them. - Wimberry muffins.- Yeah.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19Just what you need on a day's walk.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26- Is that the summit, there? - That's the top, Foel Cwmcerwyn.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30- Hopefully we'll get some good views there.- I think we'll be lucky.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32I think so.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35'But if there's one place you're going to get wet in Pembrokeshire,
0:07:35 > 0:07:42'it's on the first hill in the way of weather coming off the Atlantic!'
0:07:42 > 0:07:47- It is very wet.- It's wet sock-making kind of terrain, isn't it?
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Nearly there.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56Hopefully that cloud will blow away.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59'But for the moment, that's still wishful thinking.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03- Well, we've finally made it. - Yey!
0:08:03 > 0:08:07- The top of Foel Cwmcerwyn. - That's it. You got it.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11- Fancy a cup of tea?- I'd love a cup of tea! I'd do anything for one!
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Song: "5 Years Time" by Noah and the Whale
0:08:19 > 0:08:23- Cup of tea, vicar?- Yes. Thank you. - Bet you get that all the time.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26All the time! Always the same joke!
0:08:27 > 0:08:31So we've seen bits of the view when the cloud has lifted.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33What can you see through here?
0:08:33 > 0:08:37When it clears, what you see in that direction is Foel Drygarn.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40You've got a picture in your rucksack, I think.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Let's have a look at these pictures.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45That's on the other end of the mountain.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48It's Drygarn, it's got three cairns on the top of it.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51That's a Celtic hill fort.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55- What's this, here?- In the front, you've got Bedd Arthur.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59Beyond that you've got Carn Menyn. It's all jaggeddy.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02They're natural outcrops of rock,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04that's where they took the Bluestones from.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08You know you hit a rock and said, "Does it ring?", lots of them ring.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11- Really?- Yes. That's where the ringing stones came from
0:09:11 > 0:09:15and the stones probably for Stonehenge and all that jazz.
0:09:17 > 0:09:18It's clearing again.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21- Is it?- Yes.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23# ..All down our necks and there'll be
0:09:23 > 0:09:25# Sun, sun, sun
0:09:25 > 0:09:28# All over our faces and sun, sun, sun.#
0:09:28 > 0:09:32We've come down off the hill and it's getting a bit squelchy again.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Yes. The path has got worse even though the weather got better.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39Actually, boggy places were special to the ancient peoples
0:09:39 > 0:09:44because they're not quite land and they're not quite water.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47They're sort of an in-betweeny and liminal place.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52So it's like a land picture of a spiritual reality.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56It's this world and the other world.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59And the way you can see your reflection in it too.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02So it's like your soul and you.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07In old Welsh thinking, the whole of this mountain range was 'Annwn',
0:10:07 > 0:10:08which is the Otherworld.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12So it might be the Otherworld because it's got lots of bogs!
0:10:18 > 0:10:21There's another one of those stones over here.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24Just look at that though.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27The colour difference on the side compared to this side here.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29It's completely different, isn't it?
0:10:29 > 0:10:32You can see why they called it bluestone.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37Look how blue the fresh bit is compared to where you've got all the weather coming in.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40If you take a bit of the blue stuff and polish it all night,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43it goes navy blue and it ends up with little white bits in it
0:10:43 > 0:10:45and it looks like the night sky.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48So if you're going to build something like Stonehenge
0:10:48 > 0:10:49to calculate what stars do and stuff,
0:10:49 > 0:10:52that's a pretty apt thing to make it out of.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55It really is very distinctive, the colour.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57Pretty rare anyway.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11We're on the Golden Road now, going through this little gate.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15- The Golden Road.- Yes. - Why is it called that?
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Because it's not just any old track way.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20Look how far it goes in that direction,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23and in the other direction it went all the way to the coast.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26They traded salt and gold from the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland on it.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29So which way are we going? This way or that way?
0:11:29 > 0:11:32The road goes both ways but we're going that way
0:11:32 > 0:11:36because we want to go to the pub, down to Rosebush to Tafarn Sinc.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38- Tafarn Sinc, here we go.- Excellent.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41'I shall have to come back another time
0:11:41 > 0:11:44'to follow the Golden Road to the east for a closer look
0:11:44 > 0:11:47'at the standing stones of Bedd Arthur
0:11:47 > 0:11:49'and the burial cairns of Foel Drygarn.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54'Now though, west is best for a short distance along the Golden Road
0:11:54 > 0:11:56'before turning on to a forestry trail,
0:11:56 > 0:12:00'leading down towards the old slate quarrying village of Rosebush.'
0:12:00 > 0:12:03You can see why it was called Rosebush
0:12:03 > 0:12:07because it's actually meant to be Rhos y Bwlch.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11- Rhos y Bwlch.- Yes. Like where the pass is.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13The head of where the pass is in the mountains.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17I suppose in some ways if you're from Swindon
0:12:17 > 0:12:19then it's easier to say Rosebush than,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22"I'm off to Rhos y Bwlch for the weekend."
0:12:22 > 0:12:24Yes!
0:12:24 > 0:12:28The landscape has changed and so has the geology.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32We've left the bluestones behind and now I can see slate.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35That's quite unusual for this part of the country, isn't it?
0:12:35 > 0:12:38It is really, because if you say 'slate' and 'Wales',
0:12:38 > 0:12:39you often think of North Wales.
0:12:39 > 0:12:44If we turn down this path here, we'll take you alongside the quarry then.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47'It might not have been of the same quality as North Wales slate,
0:12:47 > 0:12:52'but for a period around the 1860s, there was a wide demand
0:12:52 > 0:12:55'for this slate because of its attractive colouring.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59'But slate production finished here in 1891,
0:12:59 > 0:13:03'70 years or so before the more famous North Wales quarries
0:13:03 > 0:13:05'began to close.'
0:13:06 > 0:13:10So here we are in Rosebush or Rhos y Bwlch in Welsh.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14- That's it.- And a nice row of little houses here.
0:13:14 > 0:13:15It's called The Terrace,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18and it's where all the slate workers used to live
0:13:18 > 0:13:20when the quarry was in operation.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23It's still a thriving community.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25What's this building here?
0:13:25 > 0:13:28It used to be a post office and now it's a bistro and tea rooms.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32Really good home cooking and things. Cracking curry!
0:13:32 > 0:13:36'Built of Rosebush slate in 1870 for the local quarry master,
0:13:36 > 0:13:41'the old post office is now Pembrokeshire's highest restaurant.'
0:13:41 > 0:13:45- Thank you vicar!- You're welcome. - So this is Tafarn Sinc?
0:13:45 > 0:13:48It is and it used to be the Station Hotel.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51As you can see, we're in a station.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Yes. There's a platform here, a railway line,
0:13:54 > 0:13:56and they've even got models of people
0:13:56 > 0:14:00who look like they're frozen in time.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03You can even hear the sound of a steam train in the distance.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05I think it's coming from that little shed.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09- Do you want to go in and have a look inside?- Yes.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13- Can you see all the crinkliness of the walls?- Yes.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17It's corrugated iron. That's why it's called Tafarn Sinc, as in zinc.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19It makes sense!
0:14:19 > 0:14:22'A quirky corrugated crimson shed,
0:14:22 > 0:14:26'Tafarn Sinc is not in fact unique in this part of Pembrokeshire.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29'But these distinctive tin buildings,
0:14:29 > 0:14:33'built towards the end of the 19th Century, are rapidly disappearing,
0:14:33 > 0:14:37'though they have a charm and character well worth preserving.'
0:14:37 > 0:14:39It's amazing, isn't it?
0:14:39 > 0:14:42- Look, Jamie's left his long johns here!- Yes!
0:14:42 > 0:14:45There's all sorts of things if you look carefully
0:14:45 > 0:14:47all over the ceiling and all over the walls.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50- And sawdust on the floor. - Lots of sawdust.- Yep.
0:14:50 > 0:14:56'This is what many modern theme pubs aspire to but don't quite pull off.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59'Tafarn Sinc feels really authentic and homely
0:14:59 > 0:15:04'with lots of original photographs and random old artefacts,
0:15:04 > 0:15:06'including a 12-year-old ham.
0:15:06 > 0:15:07'And by all accounts,
0:15:07 > 0:15:12'it's a brilliant place for a good old fashioned sing song.'
0:15:14 > 0:15:19- Shall we have a quick drink before we head back to Maenclochog?- Yes.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Diolch yn fawr.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24- Cheers!- Iechyd Da!
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Mae'n flasus iawn. Bendigedig!
0:15:31 > 0:15:34- So where to next? - Back home to the vicarage.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38We'll go back down along the path we came up this morning.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41- I've got to say, that was a fantastic walk.- You're welcome.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43Thanks very much.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47Lots of history, wonderful views and real Pembrokeshire weather!
0:15:47 > 0:15:49You can't beat it!
0:15:51 > 0:15:54'If you fancy trying one of our walks from the series,
0:15:54 > 0:15:58'go to bbc.co.uk/wales
0:15:58 > 0:16:02'and take a look at our interactive Weatherman Walking website.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04'It has everything you need,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07'from detailed route information for each walk,
0:16:07 > 0:16:10'as well as photos that we took,
0:16:10 > 0:16:13'and walking maps for you to print off and follow.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15'For the next walk in this programme,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18'we head for Gower's south coast for a varied walk
0:16:18 > 0:16:21'along cliff tops, beaches and a wooded valley.'
0:16:22 > 0:16:26This is the coastal path that goes from Mumbles to Langland
0:16:26 > 0:16:28and on to here, Caswell Bay.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32A lovely walk. It's very accessible and very popular.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35But we're going to go slightly off the beaten track
0:16:35 > 0:16:37to find a hidden gem of a walk
0:16:37 > 0:16:41that starts here at Caswell and goes that-a-way.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47'To show me the way and tell me what's special about this area
0:16:47 > 0:16:50'is National Trust warden, Sarah Stevens.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54'Sarah has been warden here on Gower for eight years.
0:16:54 > 0:17:00'She loves the outdoors and when she went on a National Trust holiday as a youngster,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03'thought the wardens had a cool job and would like to do it herself.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05'And now she does!
0:17:06 > 0:17:10'Caswell Bay, the start of our walk,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13'is a very popular award-winning Blue Flag beach
0:17:13 > 0:17:16'with plenty of sand, waves to surf
0:17:16 > 0:17:19'and rock pools to explore at low tide.'
0:17:21 > 0:17:24I know we're not taking that path which goes to Mumbles,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27so which way are we going today?
0:17:27 > 0:17:31The tide's out so we can start along the beach and join the path.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34If the tide was in, we'd need to go along the road.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38'Just a few miles west of Swansea on Gower's south coast,
0:17:38 > 0:17:41'our walk takes us from the beach at Caswell Bay
0:17:41 > 0:17:45'up on to the cliff top path to Brandy Cove and Pwlldu Bay.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49'Then it's a short sharp climb up on to Pwlldu Head
0:17:49 > 0:17:51'and on to Pennard Cliffs.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55'Turning inland, we drop down into the wooded Bishopston Valley,
0:17:55 > 0:18:00'then return to join the path at Brandy Cove and back to Caswell.'
0:18:00 > 0:18:05I can see there's a lifeguard station on the beach, keeping an eye on the surfers and swimmers.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09It's so busy, it's good to have them here so they can help keep you safe
0:18:09 > 0:18:12- through the summer months. - Not many surfers in today.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14It's pretty flat.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Not good surfing but maybe if you're brave enough to swim.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20'The flat bit of the walk doesn't last long,
0:18:20 > 0:18:24'as we now head for a short climb up steep and narrow steps
0:18:24 > 0:18:26'somewhere here in the corner of the bay.'
0:18:26 > 0:18:29Brandy Cove, that's an interesting name.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33Yes, we'll be going there. It's one of our stops on the way.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Has it got anything to do with alcohol?
0:18:36 > 0:18:38- Oh yes!- Really?- Yep.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Path's a bit narrow in places, isn't it?
0:18:42 > 0:18:45It is a bit, but if you just look where you're walking
0:18:45 > 0:18:49and take your time, it's fine. Just take advantage of the great views.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51- And a big drop down there!- Oh yes!
0:18:52 > 0:18:56'Fortunately, that's the biggest drop out of the way.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58'From here on, the path is very safe.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02'But I wouldn't recommend flip flops for this walk
0:19:02 > 0:19:04'and I'd stay off the brandy as well!'
0:19:05 > 0:19:07So this is Brandy Cove.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11Yes. It used to be called Herslake Cove but it got renamed Brandy Cove
0:19:11 > 0:19:14because of its connections with smuggling.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16It's a narrow cove so they could get the boats in
0:19:16 > 0:19:18and take off the tobacco and the alcohol.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22Then it was all dispersed amongst the villagers and further afield.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24So it got renamed Brandy Cove.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28They also used to bring small boats in to load lead ore from the mine down there.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30- Let's take a look. - Let's go this way.
0:19:30 > 0:19:35# All you hardy miners help us sing this song.#
0:19:35 > 0:19:40- This is the old silver-lead mine. - Yes, one of them.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42There were a few in this area.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Worked in about the 1700s and 1800s for silver-lead.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47Not necessarily extensively worked.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50Maybe not too much ore there to make it worthwhile.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54- I wouldn't want to go in there. - It's a bit dark, cold and narrow.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56- I don't want to go in either! - Let's carry on then.
0:19:56 > 0:20:02# A lovely day, lovely day Lovely day, lovely day.#
0:20:02 > 0:20:03Lovely day.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16Another amazing view, Sarah.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20Yes. The sandy bay along there, that's Pwlldu Bay, where we're heading to.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23- It's beautiful, isn't it?- It is, and we're so lucky with the weather.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34So this is Pwlldu, which means 'black pool'.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38Yes. The river that comes through here is called Bishopston Pill.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40It quite often runs beneath the shingle bank,
0:20:40 > 0:20:44but due to recent heavy rain falls it's burst through the shingle bank
0:20:44 > 0:20:46and formed what we can see now.
0:20:46 > 0:20:51A few high tides and that will push the shingle bank back up again.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54So if I came here another time, it could look different.
0:20:54 > 0:20:55Definitely, yes.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Shall we see if we can cross over and keep our feet dry?
0:20:58 > 0:21:00Yes. After you!
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Here we go!
0:21:10 > 0:21:13- You didn't get your feet wet! - No, not quite!
0:21:14 > 0:21:17'It really is hard to believe that this secluded bay
0:21:17 > 0:21:21'is literally just down the road from the city of Swansea.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24'It just needs a little bit of effort to get here.'
0:21:24 > 0:21:26- This is a beautiful little cove.- Yes.
0:21:26 > 0:21:32But at one time, it used to be very busy with shipping.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Yes. The limestone quarrying was quite big business here.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38The ships would come in on high water, get rid of their ballast,
0:21:38 > 0:21:40which formed this shingle bank.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43They would have anchored up at Ring Rock over there.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46At low water, the rocks would have been slid down,
0:21:46 > 0:21:49loaded on to the ships and next high water,
0:21:49 > 0:21:52the boats would have returned to Devon and Cornwall.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55So 150 years ago, this place was really busy
0:21:55 > 0:21:58with ships coming and going and lots of people as well.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01There were possibly 200 people employed here
0:22:01 > 0:22:03and it was the last quarry to close on Gower in 1902.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07It's hard to believe it now because it's so quiet here.
0:22:07 > 0:22:08Just how I like it.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14'Behind the pebble bank are two houses that were once pubs.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16'At the height of the quarrying,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18'there were actually five pubs in the bay.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21'Enough for the quarrymen to go on a pub crawl.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25'Ship Cottage, built in the 1600s, was called The Ship Inn,
0:22:25 > 0:22:29'and Beaufort House was The Beaufort Arms.'
0:22:30 > 0:22:36So all this is National Trust land and Bishopston Valley is that way.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Yes, we're coming into National Trust land now
0:22:38 > 0:22:41and we'll be going through Bishopston Valley later.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43But first, Pwlldu Head.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48'It's a bit of a steep pull on to the headland, the highest on Gower,
0:22:48 > 0:22:50'but it's really worth the effort.'
0:22:51 > 0:22:55- Well, Sarah, what an amazing view! - It's pretty cool, isn't it?
0:22:55 > 0:22:57We started in Caswell over there
0:22:57 > 0:23:01and we followed the coast path down to Pwlldu Bay.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04- Look how much the tide's come in. - We haven't walked that quickly.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07We haven't!
0:23:08 > 0:23:13'Just below the headland, there's a grassy gully called Grave's End,
0:23:13 > 0:23:15'with a circle of limestone rocks
0:23:15 > 0:23:20'that indicate the last resting place of some 68 unfortunate souls.'
0:23:20 > 0:23:23There was a ship called Caesar in 1760
0:23:23 > 0:23:27that was wrecked just off the headland here.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29People were battened down below decks,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32press-ganged into service for the Navy.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36They didn't survive the wreck. The crew supposedly did.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40The local villagers then buried the dead in that area there.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42- A bit of a sad story.- It is.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49'As we reach the top of the dramatic limestone cliffs at High Pennard,
0:23:49 > 0:23:52'formed a mere 400 million years ago,
0:23:52 > 0:23:57'it's now time to turn inland for a complete change of scenery.'
0:23:58 > 0:24:00So where are we going now then?
0:24:00 > 0:24:03The woodland called Bishopston Valley.
0:24:05 > 0:24:06It looks a bit dark down there.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09It is in places. I'll look after you!
0:24:15 > 0:24:17Look at this, Sarah.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20I haven't seen a fungus this big before.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23It's bracket fungus. Quite common on big trees.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26As you can see, this tree has naturally fallen here
0:24:26 > 0:24:29and we've done nothing other than cut the access through it.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32It's not a commercially run woodland so when trees fall
0:24:32 > 0:24:36we let the insects get on there, fungus grow on there
0:24:36 > 0:24:39and put all the nutrients back into the ground
0:24:39 > 0:24:40and just cut our way through.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54Does the river ever dry up at all?
0:24:54 > 0:24:56No, there's always some here,
0:24:56 > 0:24:58but further up, we'll lose it underground.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04This area here is a bit of a surprise.
0:25:04 > 0:25:09I was expecting just to walk through the valley surrounded by trees
0:25:09 > 0:25:11and we've got this beautiful, grassy meadow.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15Hundreds of years ago there would have been far fewer trees here.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17There's an Iron Age fort.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19They wouldn't have built that amongst trees.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22They would have opened these areas up for grazing.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26We try and maintain these meadows, we don't want to lose the grassland.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29When the cattle aren't grazing enough for us,
0:25:29 > 0:25:32if there's trees encroaching, we'll clear them back.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Derek, this area is known as resurgence.
0:25:42 > 0:25:47That means the river reappears here having disappeared under the ground
0:25:47 > 0:25:49further up stream.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52We've seen a lot of the water today and from here it reappears
0:25:52 > 0:25:54all the way down to Pwlldu Bay.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58From here on, it flows underground from its source.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08We're actually walking on the riverbed at the moment.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11- The river is flowing underneath us? - Yes, at the moment.
0:26:11 > 0:26:17'I'm about to see where this river's gone at a place called Guzzle Hole.'
0:26:17 > 0:26:21It's a great name because you can hear the water guzzling.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25Yes. Here is one of the few places that we can see the river
0:26:25 > 0:26:30running underground and it reappears at the resurgence we saw earlier.
0:26:30 > 0:26:31Is it safe to come in here?
0:26:31 > 0:26:34If we're careful and take our time we should be OK.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36This is as far as we'll go.
0:26:36 > 0:26:41You can see the water coming in and then disappearing again.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43What I really like is the ceiling,
0:26:43 > 0:26:48the way the water has cut through the rocks, carved its way through.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52It's absolutely amazing. I never get bored in coming here. Stunning.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55I suppose we'd better head off to the next place.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57My knees are seizing up!
0:27:01 > 0:27:03I just want to show you Long Ash Mine,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06- an old silver lead mine. - Like the one we saw in Brandy Cove?
0:27:06 > 0:27:10Yes. Possibly worked in roughly the same time.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13There's no evidence of a spoil heap here
0:27:13 > 0:27:15so we don't think it was extensively worked.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17Probably flooded quite often.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19There's a big padlock here to keep people out.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23It's quite dangerous in there but we know bats roost in there.
0:27:23 > 0:27:28- Bats?- Greater horseshoe bats and lesser horseshoe bats roost there,
0:27:28 > 0:27:31possibly others too, and that's why the grills are horizontal
0:27:31 > 0:27:34- so they can fly in and out. - That's clever.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38This is where we branch off from the riverbed and leave the valley.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42What? All the way up there? It's a bit steep, isn't it.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45Well, we've got to get out of the valley somehow.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47I'll hold on to your rucksack.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55We're back into the daylight again.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58- Yep, sure are.- What a difference.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04I didn't realise we'd climbed so high.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07Look at the view across the treetops.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09Not long ago we were down at the bottom of the valley,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12hidden amongst all those trees down there.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16It's very secluded down there and yet so close to so many people.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20Thanks very much, Sarah, for a fascinating and interesting walk.
0:28:20 > 0:28:25It's made me realise I must come back to Gower more often in future.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27- It's lovely. - Be good to see you again.
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